Photos: Biggest Supermoon of the Summer

People in the Twin Cities and across the country will be treated to the biggest and brightest supermoon of the summer on Sunday night.

Because our celestial neighbor is relatively close to Earth, these full moons will appear to be unusually large. That distance varies because the moon follows an elliptical orbit. When it's close and full, it appears bigger and brighter than normal, although the difference can be hard to detect.

The full moon may seem huge, but it's just an illusion caused by its position in the sky.

The supermoon will coincide with the Perseid meteor shower Sunday night. While clouds may interfere with viewing the supermoon, there will be other opportunities for viewing the meteor shower.

The Perseid meteor shower will be peaking Tuesday night, with up to 100 meteors per hour. The best time for viewing them will be around 4 a.m., a few hours before dawn, Wednesday morning.

The full moon peeks through trees in a wood near Rasing, Austria, Sunday, Aug. 10, 2014.

Photo: AP/Ronald Zak

Photo: Facebook/Aaron Mlynek

A girl plays with a dog as a perigee moon, also known as a supermoon, rises in Madrid, Sunday, Aug. 10.